


And Are We All Just Children Playing In Our Parents' Clothes?

by Duck_Life



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Bureaucracy, Disney Character Name-Dropping, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, OC VKs, United States of Auradon (Disney) Is Not Perfect
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-10
Updated: 2017-08-31
Packaged: 2018-12-13 16:55:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11764305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duck_Life/pseuds/Duck_Life
Summary: A look at some villain kids who aren't as lucky as Evie, Mal, Jay and Carlos.Chapter 1: Ben and Evie present their list of villain kids to the council. Not everyone agrees that bringing over more children from the Isle is a good idea.





	1. Don't Forget The Guys Who Cut Your Keys

Evie smooths her skirt anxiously as she looks around the council chamber, at all the guests, some known to her and others unfamiliar. “I don’t belong here,” she whispers to Ben as he leads her to a seat. 

“I know, you’re dressed better than everyone else here,” he says, pulling out her chair before sitting down himself in the ornate throne next to it. “It’s okay, Eves. We can do this.” 

A few more princes and princesses find their seats. Megara pushes a fish tank holding Marlin and Flounder into a slot around the table and then sits down, and Ben calls the meeting to order. 

“There are other children still trapped on the Isle of the Lost, children who don’t deserve to be there any more than Counselor Evie,” Ben announces with a gesture to Evie, and she’s taken aback by how authoritative he sounds. She’s known Ben for almost a year, but it’s still surprising to see him go into King Mode. “I propose we take action immediately to transfer the children of the Isle to Auradon for rehabilitation and sanctuary. My counselor has composed a list.” 

Murmurs flutter around the room like dark bats. “Well,” Prince Eric says finally, “let’s hear it.”

“Right, right,” Evie says, trying to stop her hands from shaking as she holds out her list of Isle kids. “Dizzy Tremaine, daughter of Drizella.” She glances up for a reaction, but they’re all just watching, listening. Jenny Foxworth nods along, probably recognizing the name from Evie’s interviews about her accessory designs. “Anthony Tremaine, son of Anastasia. Clay Clayton, Claudine Frollo, Rick Ratcliffe,” she reels off. “Ginny Gothel--”

“Gothel?” A young woman near the back of the room leans forward, looking suddenly pale. Evie struggles to place her, not recognizing her at first without the long blonde hair. “Did you say Gothel?”

“Yes,” Evie says, “yes, Ginny Gothel is the daughter of Mother Gothel, Princess… ah…” 

“ _ Rapunzel _ ,” Ben whispers to her.

“Princess Rapunzel.”

“Oh, my,” Rapunzel murmurs, settling back into her seat. The scruffy-looking man beside her puts an arm around her. 

Evie continues. “Yzla and Zevon, the children of Yzma. Freddie Facilier. Eddie Balthazar, son of Edgar the Butler. Hadie, son of Hades.”

“The son of Hades?” Princess Aurora coughs, eyes wide. “You want to invite a demigod to Auradon?”

“Something wrong with demigods?” says a Hawaiian man covered in tattoos from the other side of the room. 

“Not at all,” Prince Philip says, putting a hand over his wife’s. “Just, you must understand… this is Hades we’re talking about. God of the dead, and the underworld. I mean, he’s from Hell itself.”

Megara speaks up. “Not that I’m a fan of Hades, because believe me, I’m not, but I worry that you’re being clouded by a Christian-based belief in Hell and the Devil. In my culture, our Underworld isn’t like your Hell. And Hades, while you can accuse him of plenty, he’s not the Devil. That’s not really how it is.” 

“Great, the political correctness police are here,” John Smith grumbles from beside Philip. 

“Can we please get back to the task at hand?” Ben calls out, suddenly sounding less like a king and more like a teacher. Evie half-expects him to yell  _ 123, eyes on me _ . “Evie, please go on.”

“Hermie Bing, daughter of the Ringmaster. Maddy, granddaughter of Madam Mim. Charlotte Muntz, daughter of Charles Muntz. Goober, son of Bowler Hat Guy. Cindy Pine, daughter of Syndrome. Lasagna, son of Stromboli. And Ace, daughter of the Queen of Hearts.” Evie wraps up, feeling every eye in the room on her, even the mice and rats watching patiently from their spot on the table in front of Snow White. 

“So,” Prince Charming says slowly, “would we expect to bring four of these children over and see how they do? Like with the first group?” 

Evie’s just glad they aren’t laughing in her face. Charming’s suggestion isn’t what she and Ben planned, but Evie’s ready to go ahead and take it. 

Ben isn’t. “Actually, we’re hoping to bring everyone listed over at once,” he explains. “No innocent person should be left on the island any longer than they have to. Besides, keeping these kids together will keep them from feeling isolated and help them to adjust faster. We’ve already wasted too much time.”

“You call keeping our borders safe ‘wasting time’?” Cinderella says, raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow. “Do I need to remind you that your so-called ‘reformed’ Lady Mal only came here on her mother’s orders, to secure Fairy Godmother’s wand and destroy the barrier, the only thing that protects us?” 

“She turned her own mother into a lizard for you people,” Evie speaks up suddenly, quieting when Ben waves a hand at her. 

“Look, setting aside the fact that our own leadership is already corrupt with the children of villains, are we sure that we have the bandwidth to handle so many dangerous children coming to Auradon?” Hercules says.

Evie can’t help herself. “Do you even hear what you’re saying? ‘Dangerous children,’ how are they dangerous? They’re just kids!”

“Evie, please,” Ben says, honestly asking her to stay calm, not commanding. He addresses the room. “Your concerns are important. This is still a democracy.” 

“Democracies don’t have kings, and they certainly don’t have seventeen-year-old kings,” Megara says bitterly. 

“Look at what these freaks are doing, they’re turning us against our own king!” John Smith says. “We should never have brought anyone over in the first place.” 

“ENOUGH.”

Ben looks at Evie at first, sure it was her who yelled, but she looks just as stunned as he does. Slowly, their eyes travel across the room to see Rapunzel standing up. A hush falls over the council chamber. 

“I can’t believe what I’m hearing. And we’re supposed to be the good guys?” Rapunzel shakes her head. Everyone’s watching her, some looking appreciative, some scowling. Next to her, her husband just watches in awe. “Freaks? We were all freaks once. Herc, you demolished a whole city before you could control your own strength, why aren’t we throwing you on an island? Ariel, you never belonged in the home you grew up in. What if you never got the chance to leave? Cinderella, what if no one had ever given you a chance to get out of that awful house, where would you be now?” 

“She’s right,” the tattooed man says. Evie scrambles to remember his name from the briefing Ben gave her before their meeting. “Sometimes even the worst monster is just another person in pain.”

Rapunzel smiles at him. “Thank you, Maui.”  _ Maui, that’s it! _

Maui smiles. “You’re welcome.” 

“Now, I know that you’re scared,” Rapunzel goes on, looking around the room. “But children  _ are not _ their parents. Marlin! Is Nemo anything like you? He’s not. Ariel, you’re not like your father. And Pocahontas, you aren’t like yours. I mean, jeez, people, we’ve fought monsters and dragons and we’re all terrified of some malnourished kids?”

“Some of those kids  _ are _ dragons,” Aurora points out.

“I don’t care,” Rapunzel says. “You know what I care about? This young lady--”  _ Oh jeez, that’s me _ , Evie thinks. “-- just told me that the woman who abused me for sixteen years has a daughter. Who probably got the same treatment I did. I can’t hear that and just not care, alright? I need that poor girl to come here and be safe and get away from her mother.”

She sits down. Everyone’s quiet. 

“We can vote tomorrow,” Ben says. “Meeting adjourned.”

Evie leaves with her head spinning, but when she gets out into the hall and she turns around and Ben is smiling. “I think we just won, Counselor,” he says, slinging an arm around her shoulders. “Couldn’t’ve done it without you.”

“More like neither of us could’ve done it without Rapunzel,” Evie says.

“Yeah, well, she’s a villain kid, too, in her own way,” Ben says. “Maybe not by blood, but still. Just like Cinderella and Snow White. People want to forget their pasts, but their pasts are still out there.”

“You’re right,” Evie says as they walk outside into the sun. “I’m glad I finally realized that.” 


	2. You'll Never Need To Walk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Several people asked for this to continue and I've decided I will keep updating when I get ideas! This takes place after the council has voted to bring more kids over, beginning with some Tremaines. Alternate title of this chapter might as well be "My Girl Anastasia Tremaine Deserves Better" (Anyone else a fan of Cinderella II? 'Cause apparently the writers of Descendants canon aren't.)
> 
> TW for references to physical abuse and disordered eating
> 
> Cindy Pine is the daughter of Buddy Pine/Syndrome/Incredi-Boy from "The Incredibles"  
> Charlotte Muntz is the daughter of Charles Muntz from "Up"

Ben watches as Jay pulls the limo up to the roundabout, cutting the wheel too sharply and edging onto the grass. Despite Ben’s disapproving look, Jay just waves as he puts the car in park. 

Little Dizzy, pigtails flying, spills out of the car door and immediately runs toward Evie, who scoops her up and starts telling her about the cotillion and Mal’s transformation. Behind Dizzy, a tall, pale boy who must be Dizzy’s cousin Anthony steps out and surveys the area carefully before walking any further.

“Welcome to Auradon,” Ben greets him, holding out a hand. Anthony just stares at the hand until he drops it. “I’m really glad you and your cousin were able to make it. I know there’s still a long road ahead of us but every day we take another step toward uniting our nations--”

“Nations,” Anthony repeats suddenly, scoffing. “You act like we had some kind of doctrine.” His voice, low and deep, makes him sound like his grandfather could have been an actual grandfather clock. “No one  _ founded _ the Isle, we were forced there. It’s a penal colony, not a country.” 

Ben’s too surprised to react, so Anthony shoves his crocodile-skin bag into Ben’s arms and stalks off toward the castle. 

“Don’t mind him,” Dizzy says in a stage-whisper. “He’s in a mood. Been arguing with Aunt Stacy the whole ride.”

Evie raises her eyebrows. “Aunt Stacy?”

And then Anastasia Tremaine comes clambering out of the limo, hiking her dress up in her attempt to get out. “Tony!” she calls to her son, seemingly oblivious to Evie and Ben watching her. “Tony, come say goodbye!”

Anthony just keeps marching forward, so Anastasia has to run after him, limping a little and wincing with every step. She turns him around to give him a hug; her son’s arms stay firmly by his sides. When she finally releases the hug, she pauses to examine him before licking a thumb and trying to smooth out his hair. “Gah, Mother, that’s enough,” Anthony grumbles, pulling away.

“Take care of Dizzy,” Anastasia tells him. “Do everything Mr. Benjamin tells you to do. Keep your dorm clean.”

Anthony scowls. “Anything else?”

His mother’s face softens. “Try to be nice,” she says. “I love you.”

“Okay.” Anthony turns and heads into the school, leaving Anastasia alone up until Dizzy goes to hug her. 

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t get into trouble,” she swears.

“Thank you, dear.” Anastasia gives her colorful hair an affectionate ruffle before turning to go back to the limo. That’s when she finally realizes Ben’s standing right there. “Mr. Benjamin!”

“It’s Ben, Ben is fine,” Ben says, reaching out to shake her hand. Unlike her son, she actually goes for it. “I have to say, I’m surprised to see you here.”

Her face goes red. “I’m sorry, very sorry, I just had to see him off.”

“It’s fine!”

“And this,” she says, handing Ben a slip of paper. “Anthony’s father lives up in Camelot Heights, runs the bakery there. Do you think… would it be possible to get that letter to him?” 

Well. It never even occurred to Ben there might be couples, parents, living separately in Auradon and on the Isle. He’s kind of ashamed, feeling like he should know his own history better. “Of course,” he says, tucking the letter into his jacket pocket. 

Anastasia admires the castle and the grounds. “Beautiful place,” she says wistfully. “Thank you so much for giving my Tony a chance here.” 

As she starts to head back to the limo, Ben holds a hand out. “Wait. Miss Tremaine… would you like a tour?”

* * *

 

While Jay circles back to collect another couple of Isle kids (the limo’s plenty big enough but Evie decided it was better to give the kids some privacy and time to decompress), Ben winds through the gardens with Cinderella’s wicked step-sister at his side. 

She stumbles a little, still limping, and Ben instinctively holds out his arm for her to balance. She’s probably younger than she looks, maybe late thirties, but stress and sadness weigh on her and stack on extra years. “Are you injured?” he asks, looking at her ankles.

“Oh, no, this… just an old handicap,” she says with a wave of her hand. Tentatively, she balances on the king’s arm as they pass a bunch of daffodils. “When I was younger, my mother cut off part of my heel. Don’t worry about it.”

She says it so casually, the way Carlos talks about being hit by his mother, the way Evie talks about being forced not to eat. Ben tries not to let his discomfort show, but he can’t help looking sad. “How’s the cat?” he asks, racking his brain to think of everything Evie told him about the Tremaines. 

Anastasia laughs. “Luce? Oh, he’s great. A menace, but… great,” she says. “The other day he ended up in a brawl with my friend Sarah’s Siamese cats. It was  _ not _ pretty.” She chuckles at the memory. “Do you have a cat?”

“I wouldn’t say I  _ own _ one, but I am… an acquaintance of Duchess and Thomas O’Malley,” Ben says. “And I met Princess Jasmine’s tiger once. He’s very into licking.” 

When Anastasia laughs, her whole face bunches up and she kind of snorts, her lips peeling back over her teeth. People should laugh like that more often, Ben thinks, like it doesn’t matter who sees or hears them. He doesn’t think there are many reasons to laugh on the Isle of the Lost. 

“We’re having a welcoming feast tonight,” he says. “Would you like to stay for it?”

Her face lights up… and then immediately dims. “My mother and sister are expecting me, I can’t,” she says. “And they’re not too happy about the children coming here… so I really shouldn’t keep them waiting. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright,” Ben says, but it’s not, really. 

He’s been so concerned about the teenagers running around on the Isle, he didn’t stop to think about the kids he’s too late for. The kids who grew up with villains for parents and only survived by embracing that nastiness. 

He wants to help everyone but he can’t. At least he’s interrupting the cycle.

* * *

 

Jay comes back eventually to unload Charlotte Muntz and Cindy Pine. With Ben making his way back from the garden with Anastasia, Dude runs out to greet the new kids in his place. “Hello!” the dog announces, wagging his tail. “Welcome to Auradon, I’m the king.” 

“He’s not the king,” Evie says, rolling her eyes. 

Cindy Pine, a square-jawed girl with fiery red hair, clucks her tongue. “You have talking dogs in Auradon?” 

“What’s the big deal about that?” Charlotte says, her watery eyes sweeping over the landscape. “All my dad’s dogs can talk.” 

“No way.”

“Can too!”

“Girls!” Evie says, feeling suddenly parental even though they can’t be more than a year or two younger than her. “Why don’t you just follow me into the castle? I’ll show you where your room is.” 

“I have to share a room?” Cindy whines. 

Ben catches up then, still helping Anastasia along. “Oh, hi!” he says to the newcomers, glancing quickly at Evie for introductions.

“Syndrome’s daughter and Charles Muntz’s daughter,” she whispers. He nods.

“It’s wonderful to meet you both.”

“Yeah, sure, whatever,” Charlotte says, breezing past Cindy toward the school. Evie shrugs and chases after her, with Cindy, Dizzy and the dog bringing up the rear. 

“Jay can bring you back to the Isle,” Ben says to Anastasia.

She nods, thanks him, and gets back in the limo. As Jay pulls away, Ben feels more certain than ever that by bringing the villain kids here he’s doing the right thing.

And he’s doing it twenty years too late. 

 


	3. No Beauty Could Move Me, No Goodness Improve Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben yells at his dad.

“I want to hear the story again,” Ben says.

It’s raining, and he stands with his father by the huge stained glass portrait of Belle and the Beast. Currently, Ben’s staring at the rose featured in the picture.

“Benjamin, I told you,” his father sighs. “I turned into a beast because I didn’t eat all my asparagus at dinner.” 

“Dad.”

His father chuckles. “But I have told you this story,” he points out. “The old enchantress came to the door asking for a place to stay the night. I turned her away, like a fool. She transformed me, left the rose, and five years later I kidnapped an old man. And that’s how I met your mother!” He’s still playing it off for laughs, but Ben’s serious.

“I just don’t understand why you turned the woman away in the first place,” he says. “You had plenty of the room in the castle. Did you not trust her?”

His father looks uncomfortable and starts cleaning his glasses to stall. “It wasn’t… that I didn’t trust her,” he says. “Son, you have to understand. Like I said, I was a fool then. I was arrogant and conceited, I was just a kid. I didn’t know what I was doing.”

“You were a year younger than I am now,” Ben retorts. “And I’m running a kingdom.”

“Right,” his father sighs. “Well… I laughed at the woman, called her ugly. Kids can be cruel. She even gave me a second chance. I didn’t know any better and I still laughed in her face and threw her out.”

Ben stares at him. He knew this, or at least suspected it, heard it whispered by Lumiere and Mrs. Potts, but to hear his father admit to it is something else entirely. “How could you do that?”

“Look… your grandparents weren’t around much. I didn’t have good role models, I didn’t really learn to be a gentleman… I’m not trying to make excuses, but the facts are the facts. I was just a child.” 

“Just a child,” Ben repeats. “Like the Isle kids are just children.”

His father looks surprised. “Ben, where’s this coming from? You know my feelings about Mal, she’s a peach, your mother and I are thrilled to have her here.”

“I’m not talking about Mal,” Ben sighs. “I’m talking about everyone else. The villain kids who are still trapped, who grew up eating garbage scraps. Dad, you doomed those kids just the way that enchantress doomed you! And you can’t even see that.” 

“Son--”

“If that enchantress had shown up looking tall and beautiful and like who she really was, you would have let her in,” Ben says suddenly, eyes fiery as he stares up at his father. “Right?”

His father stumbles in his words. “Well, I, ah, I think I would have sooner realized who she was and that she had that kind of power.” 

“You didn’t care!” Ben yells, full of anger like the way he shouted at his father on the True Love yacht the night of cotillion, only that was because of a love spell. That was Uma’s anger, not his own. This is his. “You didn’t care that she might have just been a person in need. Dad, the kids on the Isle need us. And they aren’t all going to magically transform into beautiful enchantresses. Most of them are still going to be pirates, and witches, and thieves, but they still need us.”

For the past year, he made Mal feel she needed to change for him and for Auradon, to change her hair and style and personality. She transformed herself into a stranger because she thought she needed to to deserve love and support. 

It’s not about deserve, though. Did his father deserve to be cursed? And for that matter, did he deserve to be changed back into a man? Ben doesn’t want to wait for these children to prove themselves worthy of his help. He wants to help them right now. 

“Forgiveness is a virtue,” his father says finally, resting a hand on his shoulder. “You have it in spades.”

Ben shakes his head. “It’s not about forgiveness,” he says. “I don’t think these kids have anything to forgive. Actually, I think we owe  _ them _ an apology.”


	4. There's A Moment I'm Forgetting Where You Tell Me You See Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Evie and Ben go back to the Isle to hold a conference and Evie must confront a familiar face.

Ben comes to Evie with the idea to hold the conference, and she agrees immediately. So many years she spent angry and bitter on the Isle, wishing someone were listening to her problems and trying to alleviate them. Even if they can’t get everyone off the Isle, even if some of these villains deserve to stay there, they should get decent food and shelter and safety. They’re owed that much. 

So Evie puts some outfits together, something formal with a touch of Isle, something to appeal to their audience without seeming gimmicky. She pretty much just wears her old clothes but toned way down, fewer studs, no jewelry except for a simple gilded barrette. Ben wears a blue coat and no tie, and he drives them over in the limo. 

Lumiere and Fairy Godmother and even Jay tried to insist on coming along, but ultimately Ben decided that they needed to appear as non-threatening as possible. This isn’t a lecture or an invasion, it’s a conversation. They’re coming to the Isle with their hands extended, their eyes open and their ears ready to listen. 

As they march through the dirty streets to the podium set up in the middle of Leota Square, Ben notes that all the pamphlets and fliers they sent out advertising this conference have been defaced, horns and fangs added to his image and Evie’s teeth blacked out, little arrows pointing to her and calling her a traitor. 

“Don’t worry about it,” Evie says with a shrug. “At least we know they saw the fliers.” 

The podium is vandalized too, words like “false idol” and “princess sellout.” Ben takes Evie’s advice and doesn’t worry about it. The two of them step up to the podium together as the milling Isle residents begin to cluster into a crowd. They all look angry, but at least they aren’t actively throwing projectiles. Ben takes that as a win. 

“Hello, and thank you for joining us,” Ben says, hands clasped together as he addresses the crowd. 

“Fraud!”

“LIAR.”

The crowd jeers and swells around them. Evie clutches the edge of the podium so hard her fingers turn white, but Ben just keeps going. “I recognize and respect the anger and resentment you feel, and I can only say that I am wholeheartedly sorry for the treatment my fath… the, er, previous administration has subjected you to.” 

“...  _ left us here to starve! _ ”

“ _ Spoiled brat! _ ”

“Go back to your castle!”

“I can’t fix everything with a single conference,” Ben continues. “But I came here today to hear your concerns. I know there are things I can do to start rebuilding the trust and making amends. I’m here to listen.”

Evie holds her breath. The crowd bristles for a moment, and then a clear voice rings out from a familiar woman with red hair. 

“Vegetables,” Anastasia says, one hand on the shoulder of a young boy standing in front of her who looks like he could be her nephew. “We need fresh vegetables, especially the children.”

Ben nods, a wave of relief crashing over him. If he reaches no one else today, at least he reached the once-wicked step-sister. “Absolutely,” he says. “My, ah, associate, Mal, uh, ha, you all know Mal. She’s working on developing a community garden and farmers’ market here on the Isle.”

“Nothing grows here!” Mother Gothel calls out disparagingly. “Not a thing.”

“Right,” Ben says, rolling with the punches. “That’s a problem, and that’s a problem I want to fix. I’ve been speaking to the Fairy Godmother about allowing more sunlight and fresh air through the barrier. You should be able to farm from the land instead of depending on Auradon’s leftovers.”

“Those leftovers are garbage,” yells Edgar Balthazar. Beside him, Chef Louis nods in agreement. 

“That’s not fair, either, and I am going to communicate with the barge operators and transport supervisors that that’s not okay,” Ben says. “You’re human beings.” He can swear that Si and Am actually smirk at him from the front of the crowd. “Er, most of you. You deserve real food.”

The crowd murmurs appreciatively, apparently pleased that King Ben’s actually listening to their concerns and demands. This is actually going better than expected.

And then a woman speaks up from the back of the crowd. “Evelyn, darling, break any more hearts besides your poor mother’s?”

Evie’s veins freeze over and it feels like all the air gets sucked out of the square. The Evil Queen looms in the audience, just as terrifying as the day Evie first left the Isle, her red lipstick smirk leering at her daughter. 

“When Maleficent never came back from Auradon, when I found out that you  _ chose _ to stay there, well, first I thought maybe you found a prince. And then I waited, and waited, waited for you to come get me,” the Evil Queen continues. “But then I started hearing the stories. You’re  _ sewing _ now, like a filthy servant. Scaring off all the eligible princes by acting smarter than you are. I’m so disappointed in you.”

“ __Mommy …” Evie mumbles, eyes wide.

“Come home, sweetheart,” the Evil Queen cajoles. “You know you can’t be anything without me. You need me.”

Evie lets out a shaky breath, looking lost and scared and younger than she is. It’s like everything she’s done, everything she’s built for herself, Evie’s 4 Hearts and her place on the council and the little family she’s scraped together, it all just topples.

Ben speaks up. “Evie is the smartest person I know,” he says, putting a hand lightly on her shoulder. “She’s compassionate and capable, and more to the point, she is your Royal Counselor. So you should show her some respect.” The Evil Queen looks shocked by his bluntness. Ben just refocuses on the crowd, but he does notice the grateful glance Evie sends his way. “Does someone else have a suggestion? Yes, you in the back with the blue flaming hair.”

The session continues without major incident (except for Shere Khan taking a swipe at one of Ursula’s nieces). Evie looks more shaken than at the start, but she keeps her chin up and answers a few questions about the process of moving children from the Isle to Auradon.

Oddly, a lot of the villains seem fine with the prospect of their kids going off to prep school, and not just in a “they’re plotting to steal Fairy Godmother’s wand” way. Despite their past transgressions and current temperaments, many of the parents just want what’s best for their kids. 

When they’re done, Evie and Ben walk briskly away from Leota Square, ignoring the few snide remarks from some less agreeable members of the crowd. That is, up until Evie’s mother makes a reappearance and yells across the walkway, “No boy is ever going to love you, Evie!”

Ben bristles, ready to tell her off again, but Evie shakes her head and turns around. She’s trembling, but her voice is firm and clear. “That’s fine, Mother,” she says. “Because boys aren’t really my thing.” She waits just long enough to see the look of outrage and shock on the Evil Queen’s face, and then she whirls around and races Ben back to the limo.

“That was incredible,” he says, sliding into the limousine behind her. “I can’t believe you just… wow.”

“Yeah, I can’t feel my legs,” Evie admits, laughing nervously. “Oh my God. Oh my God. She’s gonna be so mad.”

“Forget about her,” Ben says as they take off over the bridge of golden light. “I’m proud of you.” And Evie has to admit, she’s kind of proud of herself too. 

  
  
  



End file.
